All things being equal, general managers are fond of being in “win-win” situations when it comes to personnel decisions, or anything close to it.

With the decision he has to make by 7 p.m. Friday on second baseman Jonathan Schoop, Brewers general manager David Stearns probably feels closer to a “lose-lose” situation.

This is the day teams must offer 2019 contracts to arbitration-eligible players or allow them to become free agents. The Brewers have been torn about which is the lesser evil with Schoop, and for good reason.

Schoop, 27, who had a $8.5 million salary this year, is projected to earn about $10 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility. If he plays as poorly next season as he did in the two months after coming from Baltimore in a trade July 31, it would be a $10 million mistake for the Brewers, no small amount for a team expected to have a payroll of around $100 million.

If the Brewers allow Schoop to walk away, however, and he has a big season for another club, they will not hear the end of it. Look what happened when they allowed Scooter Gennett to be claimed off waivers by Cincinnati two years ago rather than pay him a $2.5 million salary.

Let’s not forget the Brewers traded two of their top 30 prospects for Schoop, right-hander Luis Ortiz and shortstop Jean Carmona, as well as major-league infielder Jonathan Villar. They received nearly nothing over two months for that investment as Schoop struggled to a .577 OPS with four homers and 21 RBI in 46 games. In the postseason, he mostly sat on the bench.

The Brewers were hoping for something closer to the all-star player who hit 32 homers with 105 RBI and .841 OPS for Baltimore in 2017. The knowledge that Schoop is capable of such things is what makes Stearns and his staff a bit nervous about a non-tender.

The only way to win this decision is to tender Schoop and have him play well in 2019, holding down second base until the organization’s top prospect, Keston Hiura, is deemed major-league ready. But, with no crystal ball to help forecast Schoop’s production, that move represents a costly gamble.

Stearns has been exploring trade possibilities for Schoop, which at least would provide some return if he goes elsewhere and excels. But trading a player just before the non-tender date is tough because interested parties often are willing to gamble that he’ll be available soon as a free agent.

If the Brewers decide to tender Schoop, it basically would set their infield. He would be the second baseman, with Travis Shaw moving back to third base. Shaw shifted to second base for the most part after the late-July acquisition of third baseman Mike Moustakas, now on the free-agent market. Jesús Aguilar will be back at first base and Orlando Arcia at shortstop.

If the Brewers allow Schoop to walk, they would either have to pursue another second baseman for the short term or keep Shaw there and make a move for a third baseman, possibly trying to re-sign Moustakas.

The feeling on Thursday was that the Brewers might be leaning toward a non-tender, no doubt because they can ill afford a $10 million mistake. But this is one of those decisions that is going to leave Stearns and Co. a bit uneasy, no matter which way they go.

The Brewers have 11 other arbitration-eligible players, including Shaw, who will get a huge raise in his first year in that system, and look for some of them to come to terms on deals before the 7 p.m. deadline. And don't be surprised if there's more than one non-tender.